ZOO Southside Archives - North West End UK

16Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Evita Too – Zoo Southside

ZOO Southside’s Main House is a wonderfully generous Fringe venue, a huge wide stage, properly raked seating and not a bad view in the house. In fact, the stage is so large and voluminous that you could probably roller skate around it naked if you wanted to. Sh!t Theatre, it turns out, wanted to. Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole are one of the funniest double acts at this year’s Fringe. I’ve seen Sh!t Theatre many times before and they never disappoint. EVITA TOO gives them an unusually expansive playground, and they use pretty much all of it. Their starting point is Isabel Perón, Juan Perón’s third wife and the woman who succeeded him as President of Argentina in 1974, becoming the first female president of any country in the world. Yet ask most of us about a Mrs ...

14Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Dreamgirl – Zoo Southside

Of the 30-odd shows I've had the pleasure of seeing so far this Fringe, Dreamgirl is certainly the sweetest. To look into the eyes of Norwegian clown and theatre-maker Karen Houge is to look upon someone searching, perhaps even pleading, for a safer, more open and friendlier world. Right now, that particular voice sometimes seems in danger of disappearing into the void. Houge originally intended to make a clown-burlesque show, and indeed first appears in the feathers and glitter of the costume intended for it. I'm rather glad she changed direction. Instead, Dreamgirl grew from her experiences during the 2015 refugee crisis, when she travelled alongside Syrian refugees making their way through Europe. What follows isn't really a play and certainly isn't a le...

11Aug

By Danielle FarrowNo Comments

Scotland

Macbeth @ ZOO Southside

It isn’t really the done thing to start a review by simply quoting from the show’s blurb, but here it is - and why? Because The Barden Party absolutely delivers on what it promises: “A thrilling, saucy rendition of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Macbeth… with a sassy, sexy bluegrass flair… transforming Macbeth into an unforgettable experience full of music, mischief and magic.” ( Read in full here: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/macbeth ) The Thane of Fife’s relationship with the throne of Scotland unfolds with all the glorious language, tension and moments of humour that makes “the Scottish play” so popular, augmented by song (something that previous centuries have also seen). Macbeth’s ambition is spurred along by her crown-focused husband and the Wyrd Brothers’ witchcraft - most p...

James Whale: Beyond Frankenstein – Zoo Southside

17Aug

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

James Whale: Beyond Frankenstein – Zoo Southside

James Whale is remembered today - if he is remembered at all in the mainstream - as the director of the two best classic Universal Frankenstein films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), as well as The Invisible Man (1933) and, if we're feeling really fancy, The Old Dark House (1933). However, these were only part of a much longer career, one which saw a small-town English boy become a major Hollywood director in a time in which his homosexuality was illegal and his themes increasingly scrutinised under the Hayes Code. Written and performed by Tim Larkfield, this one-man show eschews the straightforward approach of having Whale be that one man, telling his own life story, in favour of a series of snapshots from the perspectives of a collection of professional and pe...

12Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Johnny Got His Gun – ZOO Southside

This timely monologue highlights the brutality of war through the story of one soldier. It exposes the dissonance between ideals like freedom and democracy, and the means we use to enforce them. The first world war is raging. Joe Bonham (Johannes Holopainen) lies on a hospital bed, his face covered with bandages, his body hidden by a bedsheet. He taps his head on a guitar. Gradually, we understand that he is communicating in Morse code. Joe has a story to tell. Joe pulls up his bandages to create a bandana, and suddenly is animated and moves freely and fiercely within the black box space, which represents his vibrant imagination. He uses his guitar as well as his voice and movement to express himself and interacts directly with members of the audience. In contrast, the set is star...